# How long after letting it go out can you relight?



## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

I know that it's not the same as cigars. I've left my pipe to go out and come back hours later and fired it up just fine.

But how long is too long? I ask because I fired up the pipe one morning (6:30 am), had to interupt my smoke and then got busy for the day. I didn't remember it until late _the next day (8 pm)_.....I wasn't sure if it would be okay at that (~38 hours later) point so I empted it.


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## Stonedog (Mar 9, 2011)

I've let a pipe full of Veermaster sit all day Saturday and Sunday and then enjoyed it Monday morning. It was just as good, if not better than, when I put it down Friday night.

Not sure the same works for aromatics or latakia-based blends.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Every now and then I'll rekindle a load from the previous evening that I was too tired to finish, but not often enough to have much of an informed opinion. Always tasted fine. My guess would be that flakes fare better than ribbon. Not long back, somebody found a half-smoked pipe in a drawer from six months back and fired it up to find it smoked great! Don't remember what it was -- seems it was FVF.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

This was stonehaven....hated to do it but wasn't sure.


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## The Mad Professor (Jul 13, 2011)

:lol: I have often pondered this myself. I often pack one the day before then forget to smoke it, but I've never lit a half-smoked, day-old bowl. Looks like I'll have to finish of more of those neglected bowls now I guess... :smoke2:


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Honestly, I don't know where the harm could be in just trying it, regardless of how long. I've come back to cigars after a lot longer spell than most would consider attempting and have been pleasantly surprised.

One thing I try to do, be it a pipe or cigar, is to do a little purge if I know I'm going to walk away from it with no strict time line for return. That way, if it does go out, I don't have any stale gasses trapped around the baccy. If I've done this, I can come back to a cigar 30hrs later, purge again, light and generally enjoy. In my experience, a pipe can go a LOT longer.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> If I've done this, I can come back to a cigar 30hrs later, purge again, light and generally enjoy. In my experience, a pipe can go a LOT longer.


Shudder.

I can't relight a cigar if its cooled. A pipe, yes. But a cigar I have to smoke all in one go or toss it.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

karatekyle said:


> Shudder.
> 
> I can't relight a cigar if its cooled. A pipe, yes. But a cigar I have to smoke all in one go or toss it.


 Winston Churchill would have literally a dozen partially smoked cigars in every room in the house. He never knew which was which, or how old anything was. His butler and maid would go behind him and clean up, but often left the cigars.

My take on it is this, if you go back to a cigar expecting the same experience you had last night, you're going to be sorely disappointed. By nature, it's going to be different, but different doesn't mean bad.

I don't mean to hijack a piper thread, but I do think this applies equally to pipes. The bowl wont taste the same, but Viv' la difference!


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## B.L. Sims (Jan 14, 2010)

I wouldnt think twice relighting after a few days time. The longest ive gone is probably 48 hours.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

I have a short commute to work everyday, but still like to puff on the way. I usually smoke about 1/4 of the bowl and let it go out, then pick it back up at lunchtime, but sometimes not until 6 or 7 pm. Usually it tastes fine. 

Sometimes I can't remember what I packed that morning and it takes a few puffs to figure it out - like a game. Every now and then, I get stale or charred flavors, and it seems that the blends with Burley are the worst, at least IMHO. Again, most of the time it tastes fine.


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## Hendu3270 (Jan 23, 2009)

I've done this a handful of times and I'll always put a pipe cleaner through the stem and down into the bowl. I feel it soaks up what little moisture may be present so atleast the bowl starts up dry. It also helps me not to forget about it since I can see the cleaner sticking out from across the room...


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

I've relit a bowl the next day or day after that. Virginia blends do fine, I wouldn't do it with an aromatic though.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Herf N Turf said:


> Winston Churchill would have literally a dozen partially smoked cigars in every room in the house. He never knew which was which, or how old anything was. His butler and maid would go behind him and clean up, but often left the cigars.
> 
> My take on it is this, if you go back to a cigar expecting the same experience you had last night, you're going to be sorely disappointed. By nature, it's going to be different, but different doesn't mean bad.
> 
> I don't mean to hijack a piper thread, but I do think this applies equally to pipes. The bowl wont taste the same, but Viv' la difference!


I don't think it's hijacking when it's related and I like your thoughts on the pipe AND cigars.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

piperdown said:


> I know that it's not the same as cigars. I've left my pipe to go out and come back hours later and fired it up just fine.
> 
> But how long is too long? I ask because I fired up the pipe one morning (6:30 am), had to interupt my smoke and then got busy for the day. I didn't remember it until late _the next day (8 pm)_.....I wasn't sure if it would be okay at that (~38 hours later) point so I empted it.


Indefinitely. Unless ... there was only ash left (little combustible content); or it smelled icky (if you were having a really, really, really wet smoke), or some insectoid or fungal family moved into the bowl. Other than that, its fine.

Lighting a bowl, then putting it away for a day or two - that's an advanced technique practiced by many PhD's in pipe smoking ... its called DGT. Delayed Gratification Technique. Try it, load four or more bowls, light each up - full light, not just charring. Then snuff it by putting your palm over the top of the bowl taking care not to get burned. This is important because a well filled pipe will continue to burn, for a long time, without puffing. Place in a secluded corner, bowl upright. Then try smoking one of them a day later, another two days later, etc. Post your thoughts after the experiment!


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